Starting Out with Java: From Control Structures through Objects, Global Edition, 8th edition

Published by Pearson (November 21, 2024) © 2025

  • Tony Gaddis Haywood Community College

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For courses in computer programming in Java.

A clear and student-friendly way to teach Java fundamentals.

Starting Out with Java uses a step-by-step approach to introduce students to programming in Java. Procedural programming and control structures and methods are covered before object-oriented programming. This ensures that students understand fundamental programming and problem-solving concepts. Every chapter includes easy-to-read code listings, practical real-world examples and an abundance of exercises.

The 8th Edition introduces JShell, including experiment sections that allow students to explore Java coding and prototyping. New and updated topics cover JavaFX, String methods and more.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Teaches Java in a step-by-step fashion. Each chapter covers a major set of topics and builds knowledge as the student progresses.
  • Written for novice programmers, information is presented in easy-to-understand language in a concise, practical way.
  • Procedural programming is covered before objects, ensuring that students understand fundamental programming and problem-solving concepts.
  • Example Programs provide practical, real-world examples that test students' knowledge of key information.
  • Programming Challenges and Case Studies give students practice solving real-world problems.
  • In the Spotlight, Concept Statements, Checkpoints and Program Outputs throughout each chapter reinforce students' understanding.

New and updated features of this title

  • Introduction to JShell and JShell experiment sections familiarize students with an effective tool for learning Java and prototyping Java code.
  • Features of the switch statement, such as multivalue case statements, switch expressions, arrow syntax, and switch expressions that return a value.
  • JavaFX coverage includes a new section on displaying dialog boxes with the JavaFX Alert class, a new section on displaying multiple windows in a JavaFX application, and a new Appendix F, which gives step-by-step instructions for installing JavaFX.
  • Material on classes includes the Contact class, a simplification of the BankAccount class, and a new section on writing mutable and immutable classes.
  • String methods are introduced, such as contains(), repeat(), replace(), strip(), stripLeading(), stripTrailing(), and indent().
  • Material on databases includes a section on parameterized queries and the PreparedStatement class and using the try-with-resources statement to create and manage Connection, Statement, and ResultSet objects.

Features of Revel for the 8th Edition

  • VideoNotes are narrated step-by-step video tutorials that show how to solve problems completely, from design through coding.
  • Live Code Examples help students practice what they've learned in a live coding environment by modifying or making an addition to pre-populated code, enabling them to see the results.
  • Code Animations step students through the code line-by-line, showing what is happening in the program.
  • Checkpoint self-assessments test students' new-found knowledge with multiple-choice and matching questions at the end of each section.
  1. Introduction to Computers and Java
  2. Java Fundamentals
  3. Decision Structures
  4. Loops and Files
  5. Methods
  6. A First Look at Classes
  7. Arrays and the ArrayList Class
  8. A Second Look at Classes and Objects
  9. Text Processing and Wrapper Classes
  10. Inheritance
  11. Exceptions and Advanced File I/O
  12. JavaFX: GUI Programming and Basic Controls
  13. JavaFX: Advanced Controls
  14. JavaFX: Graphics, Effects, and Media
  15. Recursion
  16. Databases

APPENDICES

  1. JOptionPane Dialogs
  2. The ASCII/Unicode Characters
  3. Operator Precedence and Associativity
  4. Java Keywords
  5. Installing OpenJDK and Using the JDK Documentation
  6. Installing and Working with JavaFX
  7. Using the javadoc Utility
  8. More about the Math Class
  9. Packages
  10. Working with Records and Random Access Files
  11. Downloading and Installing Apache Derby
  12. The QuickSort Algorithm
  13. Named Colors
  14. Answers to Odd-Numbered Review Questions

CASE STUDIES

  1. Calculating Sales Commission
  2. The Amortization Class
  3. The PinTester Class
  4. Parallel Arrays
  5. The FeetInches Class
  6. The SerialNumber Class
  7. A Simple Text Editor Application Using Swing

About our author

Tony Gaddis is the principal author of the Starting Out With series of textbooks. He has 20 years of experience teaching computer science courses, primarily at Haywood Community College. Tony is a highly acclaimed instructor who was previously selected as the North Carolina Community College "Teacher of the Year" and has received the Teaching Excellence award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. The Starting Out With series includes introductory textbooks covering programming logic and design, C++, Java™, Microsoft® Visual Basic®, Microsoft® Visual C#, Python, Alice and App Inventor, all published by Pearson.

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